Till She Finds Her Place
by UnDeadGoat
Summary: Songfic of Circle of Life. Arwen reflects on her life. Takes place between Aragorn's death and Arwen's. A different interpretation of the lyrics than my mom, friends, reviewers, etc. say is normal, but oh well.


**Disclaimer:** Disney owns the song, Tolkein owns the characters, and somehow in there, I own nothing, even though I wrote this. Oh, yeah, and I make no material profit from this work, yadda yadda yadda.

**Till She Finds Her Place**

Arwen Undómiel, evenstar of her people, wandered the streets of Minas Tirith as in a trance, remembering . . .

_From the day we arrive on this planet  
And blinking, step into the sun  
There's more to see than can ever be seen  
More to do than can ever be done_

She had once believed she would live forever, seeing as much of Middle-earth as she wished, to later sail across the seas to Valinor, there to spend her days until the end of time. However, since she'd met Aragorn, she had known that her fate would not be the fate of the world. No, it would be the fate of one man, Aragorn son of Arathorn. 

_Some say eat or be eaten  
Some say live and let live  
But all are agreed as they join the stampede  
You should never take more than you give_

Arwen had taken little from the world, but the world had taken much from her. She was sad in a way elves could never be, and wiser than any human. These, and the death of Aragorn, weighed heavily on her heart. As she journeyed to Lothlórien, that silent, weeping testament to the glory of the once-joyous Eldar, the grass under her feet wept, so great was her sorrow.

_In the circle of life  
It's the wheel of fortune_

Some might think that Arwen believed life had dealt her a cruel hand, but she had been content for most of her three thousand years, for she had truly lived, in a way only the half-elven could.

_It's the leap of faith_

Elrond had believed her foolish to lose her immortality for the love of a mortal, but to Arwen it had been a leap of faith to cast her lot with mortals, and her belief that she would find happiness had been truth.

_It's the band of hope_

Arwen had spent many happy years with the man she knew as Estel – Hope – and all her hopes and dreams had been realized, although, she had to admit, so had many of her fears.

_Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding_

In her heart of hearts, Arwen knew Aragorn had found his place at last, though she had long dreaded his death. She also knew that to truly live, one must die. And now that Aragorn was dead, she found her own mortality staring her down wherever she looked.

_In the circle  
The circle of life  
Some of us fall by the wayside  
And some of us soar to the stars_

Although her father believed her fallen, left by the wayside of the path of the elves, Arwen had felt as though she soared among the stars these past 130 years, and she knew something her father did not: that the brightest among the stars of happiness were not elves, but men.

_And some of us sail through our troubles  
And some have to live with the scars_

In the months since the death of her husband, Arwen's spirit had aged immeasurably, and scars that had been invisible for centuries were again fresh, and new, and painful, increasing her grief a thousand fold.

_There's far too much to take in here  
More to find than can ever be found_

Feet dangling in the cool waters below the falls of Nimrodel, Arwen sighed. Though she had not swum for pleasure since she was a child, she slid into the water. She was glad she had managed to find this place. Nearly everything else she had ever found, including her beloved Estel, had been lost.

_But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky  
Keeps great and small on the endless round_

_It's the circle of life  
And it moves us all  
Through despair and hope  
Through faith and love_

With the mallorn leaves falling about her, Arwen remembered her life, so long, and yet, so short. Her life had been full of despair, yet she had known more love than many. Her father had long since given up all hope for her, but Galadriel had always had faith in her dreams. Though Aragorn had wanted her to sail for Valinor, she had known, since even before the passing of the Rings into the West, that her place was not with the waning elves, but the rising sun of men.

_Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding_

Arwen Undómiel laid herself on a hill covered in flowers not yet in bloom. As she went to sleep for a final time, she smiled, for she had finally found her place.

_In the circle_

_The circle of life_


End file.
